Means for assembling metal articles



Jan. 12, 1932. c. G. scHoTT MEANS FOR ASSEMBLING METAL ARTICLES Filed Jan. 11, 1950 Buncutor Char/es G. Schoff Gttomcg Patented Jan. 12, 1932 cairn STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES G. SCHOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR- TO WILSON STOVE & MANU- FACTURIN G1- COMPANY, OF II'ETROPCLIS, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS MEANS FOR ASSEMBLING METAL ARTICLES Application filed January 11, 1930.

This invention relates to improvements in means for assembling metal articles and particularly to improvements in assembly means for portions of certain articles such as heaters, stoves and like structures.

An object of the invention is to simplify the construction and assembly of the frame and supporting portions of stoves and heaters by lmproved provisions for connecting their component parts.

An additional object of the invention is to provide for the assembly of certain metal structures without the use of bolts, nuts, rivets or other holding expedients usually re garded as the equivalent thereof.

A further object is to provide for the assembly of certain parts of stoves and like structures without the use of threaded elements of any kind, whereby to dispense with the use of stove bolts, nuts, washers, etc., and in fact to dispense completely with any threading, milling or machining operation heretofore necessarily employed in the manufacture and assembly of the basesof heaters and similar articles.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved frame construction for heaters and the like, which can be manufactured entirely by casting and which may be assembled without the use of stove bolts or the like and which provides a boltless, threadless and nutless construction throughout.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear, as the description proceeds, and from the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the present disclosure and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, in perspective, of a base frame for a stove or heater, constructed by means, and in accordance with principles to be described; Figs. 2 and 3 show, in position to be assembled, fragmentary end portions of related side members of the frame assembly appearing in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is an elevation of a leg or support, as employed in the structure of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 illustrates a preferred type of pin used in securing the frame members together.

Referring no by characters of reference to the drawings, the presently preferred em- Serial No. 420,099.

bodiment is illustrated as the base frame of a stove consisting, as is usual, of a plurality of members arranged in polygonal disposition. The illustrated rectangular frame consists of two end members A, and a pair of side members B, the similar characters indicating a similarity of parts. The ends of the rectangular structure thus formed are mated with and joined to the sides thereof at the corners of the structure, the frame being gaging nuts on the inside of the stove legs.

As an alternative, some manufacturers have preferred to cast a hollow boss near each end of each of the frame members, the stove leg at each corner of the frame being connected to a pair of such bosses by means of a pair of stove bolts, one thereof being threaded into each of the bosses near a given corner of the frame. It will thus appear that either of the older operations requires at least four holes to be drilled near each corner of the frame and requires the use of at least four threaded members to assemble the frame and one leg at each corner of the structure. As will hereinafter clearly appear, the present invention enables the elimination of all except a single separate holding member for each corner of the frame and entirely eliminates drilling, tapping and machining perations.

According to the illustrated embodiment, each of the frame members A, preferably a casting, may be for led as a channeled section and each end of the member characterized by an inturned lip or flange 4. An inwardly extending flange of longitudinal trend may be formed on one edge of the piece, and a similar inturned flange (3 may extend parallel to the flange 5. The particular section of the frame elements is, however, a matter to be determined by the design of the stove or other structure. Supporting lugs 7 may extend inwardly of the upper portion of the member A for supporting the side walls of the stove proper. The members B of the frame are preferably cast to a section closely similar to that of the members A, e3;- cept that instead of providing the inturned end flanges 4-, a pair of projections 8 and 9 are formed ateach end of the members 13 and which serve as abutm'ents engaging in matlng relation, the inner end surfaces at the adjacent corner of the member A in assembly.

The end and side members A and B res ectively, are, in the present instance, similarly provided at each end of each member with a pair of projections or lugs 10 and 1; the former lug being apertured, as by means of a core, as it is cast, and the apertured lug disposed in proximity to the end of the member by which it is carried. Spaced somewhat from the lug 10' is the lug 11 which is, by preference, T-shaped in section, as will appear from Figs. 2 and 3. It will be seen that the lugs 10 and 11 are each substantially wedge shaped in section, being of increased thickness and width from their free ends toward their points of connection With the members A and B.

The sun orts C. a inearin t in the aresent l .L b

example as the legs of a stove, are preferably castings of angulate section to which may be imparted an ornamental design as shown, and which may include a flange or shelf portion 1.2, and an upstanding flange or plate portion 18 disposed substantially at a right angle to the shelf 12. The portion 13 may be constituted by a separate element or plate, according to the nature and intended use of the framed structure, or may obviously be employed with elements other than a stove leg. A series of apertures, including a central aperture 1 1 and lateral apertures 15 are provided in each of the flanges 13. These apertures are preferably of rectangular conformity to correspond. generally with the secion of lugs and 11, although these lugs and the openings therefor may be of any suitable shape. As will hereinafter azpear in the description of assembly, a pair of the frame members and one of the legs is positioned by inserting through-a pair of apertures 16. in the lugs 10, a key or wedge member 17. To provide a seat for such wedge member and to establish its location with respect to the support C, channels, formed in projections 18, are provioed above and below tne central aperture 142, the channels and apertures 1f constituting a seat for receiving the tapered member 17.

' The frame structure is assembled, by pref .erence, by cornering a pair of the members A and B in such a manner that the end projections 8 and 9 on one end of the member B extend behind the end lange 4 so as to be concealed thereby. leg member C is then positioned at this corner of the frame by ringing the flange or shelf 12 into engagement with the flanges 6, then extending the upstanding flange 13 inside of the cornered members A and B in such a manner that a pair of the apertured lugs 10 occupy the aperture 14 in tiie plate, with their openings 16 in substantial registration. The Tshaped wedge members then occupy the openings 15 in the flange With the parts in this .A- J: relation the key or wedge member is placed in the recited channel, extended through the registering apertures 16 and driven home as far as the relation of the parts will permit.

The insertion and driving of the lrcy member 17 tends to bring the lugs 10 into superposition and hence, to draw the lugs toward the plate portion of the member C, wed ing them further into the aperture 14. Each of the lugs being of wedge section and the tendency of the k y 1'? being to dispose the flange closer toward the inside surface of the members A and B, the obvious effect is to lock the paired members A and B into their predetermined assembled relation and at the same time firmly to secure thereto the leg or support C.

The assembly operation heretofore described is repeater. at each of the remaining corners of the frame to provide, in the present instance, a rigid, yet detachably secured structure of strength.

The invention has been described by particular reference to a rectangular stove supporting frame. It will appear obvious to those SlilllBCl in the art that the same principles may be embodied in constructing metallic assemblies of other than rectangular shape and that the present means may be used for a variety of other purposes than in the assembly of stoves, Wi hout departing from the spirit and full intended scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for joining the parts of a frame structure having mating frame members, said means including a rlatemembcrada itedtobe disposed adjacent a pair of the frame members, means for positioning the members in substantially assembled relation, a pair of overlying projections, each carried by one of said members, and a holding element engaging the paired projections to secure the members in assembled relation.

2. Means for joining the parts of a frame structure having mating frame members, said means including a plate member arranged for disposition adjacent the mating frame members, means for positioning the members in substantially assembled relation, a seat for a holding element formed on each of a pair of said members, and a single holding element engaging the paired seats therefor to secure the plate and frame members in assembled relation.

3. In a structure fabricated of mating frame members, means for joining said members, including a plate member adapted to be positioned adjacent a pair of said frame members, means on the members for posit-ioning them in substantially assembled relation, a pair of apertured projections carried by separate members, and a holding ele ment common to, and engaging the apertures in the paired projections and adapted to secure the frame members together and to secure said plate member to said frame members.

4. In a frame structure fabricated of mating frame members, a plate member engaging a pair of said frame members near their point of connection, certain of said members having coacting projections and recesses for establishing the assembled relation of the members, and a holding element engaging a pair of said projections for securement of the members in assembled relation.

5. In a fabricated frame structure, frame members adapted to be connected to each other, a supporting member positioned adj a cent said frame members near their point of connectiomsaid frame members having apertured portions adapted to be brought into substantial adj acence, and a holding element common to said portions extending into the apertures, and engaging the supporting member, and adapted thereby to secure the frame members together and to secure the supporting member in assembled relation to said frame members.

6. In a fabricated frame structure, frame members disposed With their ends in adjacence to each other, a plate member disposed adjacent the end portions of the frame members, certain of said members having projections of tapered Width and another of said members having apertures adapted to receive said projections, and a holding element common to the adjacent frame and plate members and adapted to engage certain. of said projections to secure the members in assembled relation.

7. In a base-frame structure for a stove or the like, adjoining frame members constituting side portions of the base structure, a leg or support for the frame disposed near the adjoining ends of the frame members, said frame members being formed to extend on opposite sides of the support, an d a holding member disposed on one side of the support and adapted to engage the extended portions of the adjoining frame members to secure the frame members and the leg member in assembled relation.

8. In a frame structure adapted to be supported on legs or the like, and including detachable side members, a leg member adjacent the connection between the side members,

means carried by each of said members, forming a seat for a holding element, and a holding element common to a plurality of said side members and said leg member, and detacha-bly engaging each of said seats.

9. In a corner construction for a polygonal frame, detachably connected side frame members, a leg member, a holding element common to said members, and means, carried by said members forming a channel for the holding element substantially at the corner of the frame.

10. In a frame structure, side members arranged for detachable engagement with each other, a member for supporting the frame, one of said members being' apertured and certain of said members having portions adapted to extend through the apertured member, and a Wedge engaging each of said members and arranged to coact with certain of the portions extending through said apertures, to maintain the side members and supporting member in assembled relation.

11. In a base frame structure for a stove or the like, adjoining frame members constituting side portions of th frame structure, an apertured support for the frame, disposed near the adjoining ends of the frame members, projections formed on said frame mem bers and adapted to be disposed in the apertured portion of said support, and a detachable holding element common to said mem bers engaging a plurality of said projections and one side of said support.

12. In a rectangular base-frame structure for a stove or the like, adjoining frame members constituting side portions of the frame structure, each of said frame members having a plurality of inwardly extending projections of tapered section, certain of said projections being apertured; a leg or support for the frame disposed substantially in a corner of the frame structure, and having a plurality of apertures therethrough adapted to receive and engage the projections on said frame members, one of said apertures being adapted to receive the apertured projections; means constituted by the support, forming a channeled portion on the inside surface of the support and coacting, in assembly, With the apertures in said projections to form a seat for receiving a holding member; a holding member of tapered section disposed in said seat and engaging a plurality of the apertured projections on the frame members, said holding member being adapted upon insertion in said seat, to secure said frame members in assembled relation to each other, and to secure the support in assembled relation to the frame members.

CHARLES G. SCHOTT. 

